During the use of a paper shredder or similar types of machines, it is quite common to experience a jam. In this situation, to remove the material causing the jam, it is necessary to stop and reverse the shredder motor. In prior art systems, the operator intercedes when the jam occurs and shuts power to the machine off. The operator may then manually actuate the machine for reverse operation. Alternatively, it has been known to provide a current overload detector such as circuit breakers of various types which are automatically triggered when an overload occurs in the motor. The operator then resets the breaker and reverses the machine.
With the prior art systems, manual operator intervention is required. Additionally, sophisticated current sensing systems can be quite costly. Furthermore, circuit breakers which may rely on heating of a bi-metal element or the like, may have a delay associated therewith. During such a delay, the machine could be damaged.